Eureka: Renewed for Season Six! Cancelled? A Spin-off?

Published: August 6, 2011

It was reported by Deadline that Eureka was being cancelled after being renewed for an abbreviated sixth season. While Syfy typically orders at least a dozen episodes each season, this renewal was for just six installments.

Syfy is currently airing the second half of season four and the cast and crew are filming the 13 installments of season five. Word is that production will finish at the end of August and then cast and crew will return in October to film the final six episodes — or maybe they won’t be the last ones.

After the news of the cancellation broke, Syfy programming head Mark Stern issued the following statement: “Bruce Miller and Jaime Paglia have brought a creative vitality to Eureka that has kept it fresh and inventive. Although we do not have a commitment beyond six episodes for the sixth season, we are hopeful that this will not be the end of the franchise.”

The ratings for Eureka have remained fairly consistent and it remains one of the cable channel’s top shows. The first part of season four averaged a 0.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 2.38 million viewers. The four episodes of the second half of the season have averaged a 0.7 in the demo and 2.02 million. As we all know, TV shows typically get more expensive as time goes on and that may be a deciding factor in this case.

While Syfy says that they haven’t made a final decision about the future of Eureka, it certainly sounds like this is the end. If Syfy follows their usual schedule, the six episodes of season six won’t air until Summer 2013. That’s an awful long time away. If they wait to see how those episodes perform, they’d probably have a hard time reassembling everyone to make more.

That being said, Stern’s statement does speak of Eureka as a “franchise.” A franchise is usually more than just one TV series. This could be an indication that the cable channel is considering keeping the show going in some new and cheaper way — perhaps a spin-off or an original movie. If the ratings hold up, it seems likely that Syfy won’t want to let the town of Eureka fade away completely.

What do you think? Is it time for Eureka to end? Would you like to see season seven or would you prefer a spin-off or a movie?

Eureka is an imaginative, fresh new idea that keeps getter newer and more entertaining with each episode. It is Andy Griffith meeting the science community. Beside being
entertaining it makes a person think about possibilities or what could be rather than
becoming a couch potato being fed a bunch of mind numbing violence and nudity.

Hopefully this is SyFy gauging response ala Jericho with fans sending something Eureka-esque to “save the show”. I started swearing off Sy Fy when it cancelled Farscape, one of the shows I feel helped build the network. Then they impress me with Eureka, Warehouse 13, Haven and yes even US Being Human. I realize these shows can’t go on forever, the story has to play out but I still see a lot of promise in Eureka storylines.

I have been waiting for so long for Eureka to come back on and now you say its gonna be cancelled i cant believe that. I love this show so much. Dont let this turn out like 4400. Dont allow us to get interested in a show then just take it away. Scy Fy is my favorite channel to watch but if your just gonna keep canceling everything that cost a little more money I promise i will ban Scy fy in ever way I can. There is no need to cancel it when it is doing good that is bullshit. Eureka needs to live on for a long time

I find this fun to watch. Stations like SyFy want more viewers but they give you fewer of the shows that people like to watch. Why is it they can not do full season orders? And why is it they can not play them without a massive break in between episodes?
If you want to know why you have low demographics, I would look at your crummy style of programming. NOBODY likes to wait multiple months to see shows they like to watch.

And switching your best shows all of the channel is also a great way to tell the fans how much you want them to follow your shows. I know I used to watch SyFy on Fridays all the time. Now, I stay away, I am NOT interested in wrestling. There is nothing SyFy about it. And when it runs long and I miss the end of a show I record on DVR as well???
Get a F*ing clue SyFy.

What would be really nice is if they took the episode level up to 22-24. Only having 3 months worth of new shows every year is a tough way to build a frachise, when even the CW is giving viewers half a year of new shows every season.

No, please do not cancelled Eureka. I just love this show. I’ve watched from day one. There’s no other show like it. I want to see what happens to the people in the town. I love their inventions. Please keep Eureka on.

I really hope Eureka doesn’t end — I can’t imagine the show getting so bad that I’d ever want to see it go. It’s the only show I watch on Syfy’s “powerful Mondays” (I can’t STAND Warehouse 13 and Alphas just didn’t click with me as much as I’d hoped it would). I didn’t like how they started saying Eureka and Warehouse 13 exist in a shared universe (and there will be a Warehouse 13 character on Alphas later this season, which means all three shows exist in a shared universe). I didn’t want them to dilute the pure awesomeness that is Eureka that way and I sure as heck didn’t want to see Warehouse 13 characters on Eureka (that said, the character they chose to go to Eureka, and vice versa, was probably the best of all possible choices). Anyway, I’m not ready to let my favorite community of mad scientists go just yet.

You have to be kidding me? What are they going to replace it with more wrestling? SyFy needs to pull their heads out of their butts and stop trying to axe the best shows they have. First it was Stargate SG-1, then Atlantis then SG-U which was a very awesome show! They just as Caprica was getting good, axe. They honestly need to get rid of the Neilson rating system. It is so flawed and out-of-date. 80% of the country has cable of some sort. Put a show tracker in the digital boxes and I will bet anything ratings for shows such as Eureka, SG-U and many of the other great shows that got murdered for nothing would be a LOT higher than what their current system would suggest. SyFy, I swear on everything holy if you cancel Eureka for some no brainer wrestling or anything of the like I will never…and I mean never watch your channel again.

Which ensures that SeeFee won’t listen to a word you say — you’ll be watching either way. My family got into WH 13 because of Eureka — if they cut and run with their higher rated shows, then I have no confidence that they won’t cancel other shows. Did they get some of their executives from FOX?

Please don’t bring eureka to an end. I don’t know how you check your viewers, but I know my mom, sister and I all watch your show. None of us lives in the same house. It’s different than many shows that are on now. That’s what makes it so nice to watch each week. It’s one of those shows that makes me say” no, it can’t be the season finaly already”. Please keep it coming!!!!!